The cognitive dimension and context of digital competence: an empirical study

Abstract

In parallel with the creation of the digital native myth and its spread in public discourse, certain expectations have been formulated with regard to 21st-century students. The recent literature already makes a distinction between two groups of digital natives (Helsper & Eynon, 2010). The birth of the first generation, according to Prensky’s (2001) original definition, is dated to 1980, and, with the appearance of Web 2.0 tools, people born after 1990 are considered the second generation. The difference between the two generations is their orientation and literacy in the digital world. Herczog and Racsko (2011) have pointed out that through the new media available for information acquisition –due to the extra-curricular online experience –teenagers are able to acquire a cultural literacy which helps them become independent learners, develops their skills and knowledge, and enables them to gain experience in knowledge building and knowledge sharing. The question is whether they can truly learn to use new media tools independently or whether thedevelopment of digital literacy is a function of school education, or a horizontal development task. It is clear from the results of the 2012 PISA survey on problem-solving, reading and understanding of digital texts that Hungarian students’ performance is in last place in Europe (Lannert, 2014). Hungarian studies also confirm that the ICT competences among these students do not achieve an adequate level (Fehér, 2014). This study aims to contribute to clarifying the question with the results of an empirical study, aggregating the context and components of the digital literacy test results of secondary school students in the cognitive dimension.